Method and apparatus for providing wireless digital television service

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method for receiving one or more wireless digital television signals, wherein each of the one or more wireless digital television signals comprise a plurality of data segments for presenting media content, buffering the plurality of data segments of each of the one or more wireless digital television signals to generate one or more buffered data segments to cause a presentation delay of the media content, and detecting a missing data segment in the one or more buffered data segments. The method can further include transmitting a first request to a cellular communication system to provide the missing data segment, and receiving from the cellular communication system the missing data segment prior to an expiration of the presentation delay to continue a presentation of the media content without interruption. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to a method and apparatus forproviding wireless digital television service.

BACKGROUND

The signal quality of wireless broadcast of digital television signalscan degrade in vehicular or other non-stationary applications due tofading, multipath and travel between broadcast stations. As is the casewith most broadcast technologies, a wireless broadcast of digitaltelevision has no feedback mechanism or means to replace video packetsor frames lost at the receiving end. Past attempts to solve this problemhave proven expensive and non-sustainable.

Third generation Smartphones and other connected devices may receiveunicast streamed content on-demand. This content is relatively reliable,as it is sent by cellular radio networks which enable retransmission,error correction and handover mobile applications. On the other hand, adigital television stream may occupy a significant portion of the cellsite capacity, and is therefore delivered at an unsustainable cost. Therequired bandwidth may also lead to congestion situations in venueswhere multiple users demand (but are unable to receive) the samecontent.

A standard promulgated by the Advanced Television Systems Committee formobile and handheld devices, also referred to as mobile digitaltelevision, allows television broadcasters to send mobile-optimizedcontent to handheld devices. This new technology requires specializedtransmitters and receivers, which both bring additional costs. Lacking ameans to provide feedback and receive commands from the network, it isquestionable whether this protocol will be as reliable as streamingcontent received over dedicated cellular connections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems forproviding media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method applied to thecommunication systems described in FIGS. 1-2.

FIGS. 4-6 depict illustrative embodiments of the communication systemsof FIGS. 1-3 when operating according to the method of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods discussedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments of a system for mitigating communication interruptionsexperienced by user equipment receiving signals from wireless digitaltelevision broadcasters.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a device comprising afirst mobile television receiver, a second mobile television receiver, acellular transceiver, a memory, and a processor coupled to the first andsecond mobile television receivers, the cellular transceiver, and thememory. The processor can be operable to receive from the first mobiletelevision receiver a first wireless digital television signalcomprising a first plurality of data segments for presenting atelevision program, receive from the second mobile television receiver asecond wireless digital television signal comprising a second pluralityof data segments for presenting a copy of the television program, andbuffer via the memory the first and the second plurality of datasegments to generate a first and a second buffered plurality of datasegments to cause a presentation delay of the television program. Theprocessor can be further operable to periodically select data segmentsfrom one of the first or the second buffered plurality of data segments,and present the television program according to the periodicallyselected data segments. Upon detecting a missing data segment in thefirst and the second buffered plurality of data segments, the processorcan also be operable to transmit via the cellular transceiver a requestto a network element to provide the missing data segment, and receivevia the cellular transceiver the missing data segment prior to anexpiration of the presentation delay to continue the presentation of thetelevision program without interruption.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a wireless basestation, comprising a first television receiver, a second televisionreceiver, cellular transceiver, a memory, and a processor coupled to thefirst and second television receivers, the cellular transceiver, and thememory. The processor can be operable to receive from the firsttelevision receiver a first wireless digital television signalcomprising a first plurality of data segments for presenting a mediaprogram, receive from the second television receiver a second wirelessdigital television signal comprising a second plurality of data segmentsfor presenting a copy of the media program, and buffer via the memorythe first and the second plurality of data segments to generate firstand second buffered plurality of data segments to cause a delay of themedia program. The processor can be further operable to receive arequest from a mobile device for a missing data segment, detect a copyof the missing data segment in at least one of the first or the secondbuffered plurality of data segments, and transmit the copy of themissing data segment to the mobile device prior to an expiration of thedelay to continue a presentation of the media program at the mobiledevice without interruption.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method for receivingone or more wireless digital television signals, wherein each of the oneor more wireless digital television signals comprise a plurality of datasegments for presenting media content, buffering the plurality of datasegments of each of the one or more wireless digital television signalsto generate one or more buffered data segments to cause a presentationdelay of the media content, and detecting a missing data segment in theone or more buffered data segments. The method can further includetransmitting a first request to a cellular communication system toprovide the missing data segment, and receiving from the cellularcommunication system the missing data segment prior to an expiration ofthe presentation delay to continue a presentation of the media contentwithout interruption.

FIGS. 1-2 depict communication systems in which a vehicular system cancommunicate with digital television broadcast stations and a cellularcommunication system. FIG. 1 depicts a vehicle 102 comprising acommunication device 104 coupled to two digital television antennas 106,108. Although the antennas 106, 108 are labeled as high definitiondigital television antennas, the antennas 106, 108 can receive digitalbroadcast content such as standard definition television content, highdefinition television content, and/or digital audio content such asdigital radio. The antennas 106, 108 receive wireless digital broadcastsignals from broadcast stations 202, 204 such as shown in FIG. 2.

The communication device 104 can comprise demodulation and signalprocessing technology which can take advantage of diversity technologyprinciples by receiving identical content from each antenna 106, 108 toimprove reception. The communication device 104 can comprise processingtechnology such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 104 can further comprise a display (not shown)such as a monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 104. Thecommunication device 104 can provide an input interface by way of thedisplay if the display supports touch-screen technology. In anotherembodiment, the communication device 104 can be coupled to a key pad formanual control and navigation of a graphical user interface. Thecommunication device 104 can also comprise an audio system (not shown)to enable a user to listen to audio content supplied by the broadcaststations 202, 204.

In one embodiment, the communication device 104 can be coupled to acellular communication device 110 that supports third generation (e.g.,Universal Mobile Telecommunications or UMTS), fourth generation (e.g.,Long Term Evolution or LTE), or other future cellular communicationprotocols. In the present illustration, the cellular communicationdevice 110 operates according to an LTE communication protocol. Thecommunication device 104 can cause the cellular communication device 110to exchange messages with a cellular base station 120 such as shown inFIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the communication device 104 can be coupled to ashort range communication device 112 for engaging in short rangecommunications with access points operating according to communicationprotocols such as WiFi (also known as Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth,Zigbee, or other short range communication protocols. The communicationdevice 104 can cause the short range communication device 112 toexchange messages with a network element such as a server operating in acommunication system.

In one embodiment, the communication device 104 can be coupled to alocation receiver 114 (such as a global position system or GPSreceiver). The location receiver 114 can provide the communicationdevice 104 coordinate information to locate the position of the vehicle102 as well as trajectory information indicative of the orientation anddirection of travel of the vehicle 102, speed, and other relevantfactors which can be used to estimate an arrival time at one or moredestinations.

The cellular base station 120 can comprise an eNodeB compliantcontroller 128 for supporting LTE communications with mobile devicessuch as the cellular communication device 110. The cellular base station120 can also be coupled to a digital television communication device 126functionally similar to the communication device 104. The digitaltelevision communication device 126 can be coupled to two digitaltelevision antennas 122, 124 for diversity reception of communicationsignals transmitted by the digital television broadcast stations 202,204 of FIG. 2.

The digital television communication device 126 can receive broadcastdigital television signals by way of antennas 122, 124, which it candemodulate into baseband signals to produce data segments as depicted intable 130. The sequence of data segments can represent media contentsuch as digital television program or digital radio program. When thedigital television communication device 126 is unable to receive a datasegment (indicated by “blank” slots) from one of the antennas 122 or124, the digital television communication device 126 resorts to usingthe data segment received by the other antenna.

For example, in the illustration of FIG. 1 the digital televisioncommunication device 126 is unable to receive data segment 1 fromantenna 124—see table 130. In this instance, the digital televisioncommunication device 126 can resort to using data segment 1 receivedfrom antenna 122. In the same illustration, the digital televisioncommunication device 126 is unable to receive data segment 5 fromantenna 122. For this case, the digital television communication device126 can resort to using data segment 5 received from antenna 124.Diversity reception techniques improves the ability of the digitaltelevision communication device 126 to receive broadcast signalstransmitted by broadcast stations 202, 204 (FIG. 2) that do not supportretransmission requests. The aforementioned approach for recovery ofdata segments is also used by the communication device 104 as depictedby table 206 of FIG. 2.

It should be noted that since the cellular base station 120 is aterrestrial stationary base station, the antennas 122 and 124 can beconfigured to optimize reception of signals transmitted by the digitaltelevision broadcast stations 202 and 204—which are themselves alsoterrestrial stationary stations. Consequently, the cellular base station120 has a much higher likelihood of receiving high quality reception ofbroadcast signals than the communication device 104 would while thevehicle 102 is in transit.

FIG. 2 illustrates circumstances where the communication device 104 ofvehicle 102 can receive digital television signals 201 from broadcaststation 204 with the ability to recover from lost data segments withoutassistance from other sources. When the communication device 104 isunable to receive data segments from both antennas 106, 108, and thedata segments are co-aligned (e.g., cannot receive data segment 5 fromeither antenna), the communication device 104 will be unable to recoverthe lost segments, and a presentation fault may occur, which may beperceptible to the user visually and/or audibly.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative of a method 300 that can resolve suchfaults and can provide mobile communication devices such ascommunication device 104 a means for reliable communications. Method 300can begin with steps 302 and 304 in which user equipment such as thecommunication device 104 of vehicle 102 receives wireless digitaltelevision signals 401 as depicted in FIG. 4 from broadcast station 204.For illustration purposes, the user equipment referred to in theflowchart of FIG. 3 will be referred to herein as communication device104. It is further noted that in the present illustration, the vehicle102 is assumed to be in transit. Thus, the communication device 104 canexperience multipath fading (e.g., Rayleigh fading) or other forms ofsignal degradation.

To mitigate losses of co-aligned data segments, the communication device104 can be configured in step 306 to buffer the data segments extractedfrom each antenna signal with the memory component of the communicationdevice 104. The buffered data segments can be used to cause apresentation delay of media content represented by the data segments.Media content in the present context can represent still image content,moving image content, audio content, or combinations thereof Thecommunication device 104 can be configured to cause a presentation delay(e.g., 5-10 seconds) sufficient to allow the communication device 104 toperform mitigation of data segment losses. In step 308, thecommunication device 104 can periodically select data segments fromeither of the buffered data segment streams for presenting media contentby way of a presentation interface (display/audio components) of thecommunication device 104 as described earlier.

In step 312, the communication device 104 can be configured to detectco-aligned data segments losses due to a degraded signal received byboth antennas 106, 108, which the communication device 104 is unable tocorrect by error correction or other mitigation techniques. In theillustration of FIG. 4, the communication device 104 is unable toreceive co-aligned data segments 0, 4, 5, 8 and 9 as depicted in table402 for reasons such as poor signal integrity from either antenna 106,108 causing an excessively high bit error rate that cannot be correctedwith error correction techniques. Since a broadcast transmission isunidirectional, and retransmissions cannot be requested from thebroadcast stations 202, 204, the communication device 104 proceeds tostep 314 where it submits a request to a cellular communication systemfor the missing data segments. In the present illustration, the cellularcommunication system is an LTE base station 120 of FIG. 4, which isassumed to represent one of several base stations 120 accessible to thecommunication device 104 as the vehicle travels between base station 120cell sites.

As was noted earlier, the base station 120 of FIG. 4 is stationary andthe digital television antennas 122, 124 shown in FIG. 1 can beoptimally aligned to maintain consistent reception with the broadcaststations 202, 204. Accordingly, the base station 120 is not susceptibleto the signal degradation experienced by the communication device 104due the transit nature of the vehicle 102. There is therefore a highlikelihood that the base station 120 can assist the communication device104 in recovering any data segment losses experienced by thecommunication device 104. Upon receiving in step 314 the requestsubmitted by the communication device 104, which can include identifyinginformation of the missing data segments (e.g., header information), thebase station 120 can retrieve a copy of the missing data segment fromits own buffers, and transmit the missing data segment to thecommunication device 104 in step 316.

Since the base station 120 and the communication device 104 have bothbuffered the data segments, it is likely that the communication device104 will be able communicate the base station 120 in time to receive thedata segment before the expiration of the presentation delay discussedin step 306. If the communication device 104 detects that thepresentation delay has not expired in step 318, the communication device104 proceeds to step 322 where it inserts the received missing datasegment in the data stream and presents the media content (e.g.,television program, radio program, etc.) without interruption.

If, on the other hand, the data segment is received by the communicationdevice 104 after the expiration of the presentation delay, thecommunication device 104 can then proceed to step 320 and presentinterim content (e.g., advertisement content, or pausing a frame of themedia content presentation with music in the background, etc.), whiledata segments are being recovered. Once the data segments have beenrecovered, the communication device 104 can resume presentation of themedia content in step 322.

Steps 318 and 320 can arise in situations where the communication device104 experiences a large volume of data segment losses due to a bursterror, or other interference factors that can cause an excessive loss ofdata segments. The base station 120 can be equipped with substantiallymore memory than the communication device 104. Accordingly, the basestation 120 can buffer substantially more data segments than thecommunication device 104 is able to. Under such conditions, the basestation 120 can provide a recovery mechanism that exceeds the buffercapacity of the communication device.

It should be noted that the base station 120 can also record an entireprogram (much like a digital video record). In this embodiment, if theuser initiates a presentation of a media program after a start time ofthe broadcast, the user can submit a request to the communication device104 to request a unicast retransmission of the missing portion. Thecommunication device 104 can be configured with a non-volatile memorysuch as a hard drive or Flash memory to record the live broadcast whilepresenting the missing portion received from the base station 120.

Referring now to step 324, the communication device 104 can also beconfigured to detect a transition between broadcast stations. Thissituation is depicted in FIG. 5. In the illustration, the vehicle 102has transitioned to a location where the communication device 104 cansense signals from broadcast stations 202 and 204. In one embodiment,the communication device 104 can be configured to anticipatetransitioning between broadcast stations by utilizing a look-up tablestored in the memory of the communication device 104 that listsbroadcast stations and their corresponding transmission frequencies andterrestrial locations. The communication device 104 can use this look-uptable and compare it to its location (determined with the GPS receiver114 of FIG. 1) to anticipate when it will be in communication range ofanother broadcast station. The list of broadcast stations can betransmitted to the communication device 104 responsive to the cellularbase station 120 receiving a request from the communication device 104.

Alternatively, or in combination, the communication device 104 candetermine its location and inform a base station 120 in its proximity ofthe location of the vehicle 102, and request updates to the look-uptable so that the communication device 104 can be aware of broadcaststations that it is approaching as the vehicle 102 continues to changelocation. The communication device 104 can determine its location andtrajectory and thereby anticipate a transition from broadcast station204 to broadcast station 202 as depicted in FIG. 4. In anotherembodiment, the communication device 104 can detect that the diversitysignals received from broadcast station 204 are fading thereby promptingthe communication device 104 to submit a request to the base station 120to identify the location of the next broadcast station (in thisillustration broadcast station 202), and a base station 120 that servesthe new broadcast station if the same base station 120 is unable toprovide such services.

In one embodiment, it is possible that the program channels of broadcaststation 202 are organized differently than the program channels ofbroadcast station 204. To continue a presentation of the same mediacontent without interruption, the communication device 104 can request aprogram guide of the broadcast station 202 on or before it beginsreceiving digital television signals. With the program guide, thecommunication device 104 is able to selectively switch program channelsat an opportune time when data segments from the new broadcast station202 can be received reliably. By previously buffering the data segmentsof broadcast station 204, the communication device 104 is able totransition to another channel of broadcast station 202 for presentingthe same content without interrupting the ongoing presentation. Thus tothe user, the presentation continues while traveling without anunderstanding that the communication device 104 has transitioned to anew broadcast station.

During the transition from broadcast station 204 to broadcast station202, however, the communication device 104 can be in the fringes ofreceiving reliable signals from the broadcast stations 202 and 204. Thissituation is depicted by table 504 as shown in FIG. 5. Under thiscondition, the communication device 104 can submit a request to the samecellular base station 120 serving broadcast station 204 if it is stillin communication range, or the communication device 104 can submit therequest to another base station 120 serving broadcast station 202. Toselectively choose between base stations 120, a cross-reference can beadded to the look-up table described earlier to identify which basestations 120 (identified by base station ID) support which broadcaststations. This information can be provided by any of the base stations120 supplying a look-up table update.

Once the communication device 104 identifies a base station 120, it cansubmit a request for the missing data segments while transitioning tothe broadcast station 202. As described before, the base station 120 isstationary and its digital television antennas 122, 124 can be optimallyaligned to reliably receive broadcast signals from broadcast station202. Accordingly, it is very likely that the base station 120 willprovide all the missing data segments requested by the communicationdevice 104 during the transition without interrupting the presentation.If, however, the losses are severe and cannot be mitigated, then thecommunication device 104 can transition to step 320 and present interimcontent. The communication device 104 can continue to collect datasegments from the base station 120 until such time that communicationswith the broadcast station 202 become reliable as shown in table 602 ofFIG. 6. That is, when the communication device 104 detects that thereare no longer co-aligned data segment losses, the communication device104 can inform the base station 120 that reception is stable andtransmission of data segments can cease.

Method 300 as just described provides mobile devices configured toreceive digital television broadcast signals a means to substantiallyimprove reception by mitigating anomalies such as multipath fading, andother possible interference factors.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, method 300 can beadapted so that when the vehicle 102 is in proximity of a WiFi accesspoint, the communication device 104 can revert to requesting datasegments by way of WiFi communications. The communication device 104 canfor instance submit requests over the Internet to a network element thatcan provide backup support services as described above. The networkelement can be a communication device 126 shown in FIG. 1 located at abase station 120 in proximity to the broadcast station in use by thecommunication device 104. Alternatively, the network element can be acontent server that stores copies of the media program and can retrieveany data segments identified by the communication device 104.

Method 300 can also be applied to handheld devices such as Smartphonescapable of receiving digital television signals and/or digital radio,and enabled with cellular data communication resources (e.g., LTE, etc.)to replace lost segments as described above. Method 300 can also beapplied to satellite receivers that can receive digital televisionsignals and/or digital radio, and which are equipped with cellular dataresources to replace portions of lost satellite broadcasts. Thesatellite receivers can be stationary devices such as set-top boxeswhich can be enhanced by back-up cellular resources (e.g., LTE via afemtocell) to protect against temporary data losses due to weatherconditions. Method 300 can also be applied to high definition radioreceivers enabled with cellular resources (e.g., LTE). A device canreceive missing segments from a cellular base station that buffers datasegments as they are broadcast. In another embodiment, the base stationcan request missing segments from a central data center (e.g., a networkelement server) and then transmit the data segments requested to thedevice. Other embodiments are contemplated by the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods discussed above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the communication device 104, the cellular basestation 120, the broadcast stations 120 or combinations thereof In someembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate inthe capacity of a server or a client user machine in server-client usernetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the present disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor 702 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicate with each othervia a bus 708. The computer system 700 may further include a videodisplay unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, ora solid state display. The computer system 700 may include an inputdevice 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 714 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 720.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 724) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within theprocessor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. Themain memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 622 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe present disclosure.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) are contemplatedfor use by computer system 700.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the abovedescription.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

1. A device, comprising: a first mobile television receiver; a secondmobile television receiver; a cellular transceiver; a memory; and aprocessor coupled to the first and second mobile television receivers,the cellular transceiver, and the memory, wherein the processor isoperable to: receive from the first mobile television receiver a firstwireless digital television signal comprising a first plurality of datasegments for presenting a television program; receive from the secondmobile television receiver a second wireless digital television signalcomprising a second plurality of data segments for presenting a copy ofthe television program; buffer via the memory the first and the secondplurality of data segments to generate a first and a second bufferedplurality of data segments to cause a presentation delay of thetelevision program; periodically select data segments from one of thefirst or the second buffered plurality of data segments; present thetelevision program according to the periodically selected data segments;upon detecting a missing data segment in the first and the secondbuffered plurality of data segments, the processor is operable to:transmit via the cellular transceiver a request to a network element toprovide the missing data segment; and receive via the cellulartransceiver the missing data segment prior to an expiration of thepresentation delay to continue the presentation of the televisionprogram without interruption.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein thecellular transceiver operates according to a fourth generation cellularcommunications protocol, and wherein the processor is operable to causethe cellular transceiver to transmit and receive signals to and from thenetwork element in conformance with the fourth generation cellularcommunications protocol.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the cellulartransceiver operates according to a third generation cellularcommunications protocol, and wherein the processor is operable to causethe cellular transceiver to transmit and receive signals to and from thenetwork element in conformance with the third generation cellularcommunications protocol.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the cellulartransceiver operates according to a short range wireless communicationprotocol, and wherein the processor is operable to cause the cellulartransceiver to transmit and receive signals to and from the networkelement in conformance with the short range wireless communicationprotocol.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the short range wirelesscommunication protocol comprises a wireless fidelity communicationsprotocol.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operable toreceive from the network element information relating to a location ofeach of a plurality of terrestrial base stations transmitting wirelessdigital television signals.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein a first ofthe plurality of terrestrial base stations broadcasts the first wirelessdigital television signal, wherein a second of the plurality ofterrestrial base stations broadcasts the second wireless digitaltelevision signal, wherein the device further comprises a locationreceiver coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor is operableto: detect from movement of the device a location or trajectory of thedevice; determine from the location or trajectory of the device atransition from the second terrestrial base station to a third of theplurality of terrestrial base stations; and detect a third wirelessdigital television signal generated by the third terrestrial basestation; buffer via the memory the first and the third plurality of datasegments to generate first and third buffered plurality of datasegments; and periodically select data segments from one of the first orthe third buffered plurality of data segments for presenting thetelevision program.
 8. The device of claim 1, comprising a locationreceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is operable to:detect a degradation of one of the first or the second wireless digitaltelevision signals; transmit to the network element a location ortrajectory of the device and a request for information relating to anyone of a plurality of terrestrial base stations that can provide thedevice mobile television services; receive from the network elementinformation relating to a select one of the plurality of terrestrialbase stations; and scan for a third wireless digital television signalupon detecting that the device is in proximity of a communication rangeof the selected terrestrial base station.
 9. The device of claim 1,wherein the processor is operable to receive at least one televisionprogram guide according to a location of the device.
 10. A wireless basestation, comprising: a first television receiver; a second televisionreceiver; a cellular transceiver; a memory; and a processor coupled tothe first and second television receivers, the cellular transceiver, andthe memory, wherein the processor is operable to: receive from the firsttelevision receiver a first wireless digital television signalcomprising a first plurality of data segments for presenting a mediaprogram; receive from the second television receiver a second wirelessdigital television signal comprising a second plurality of data segmentsfor presenting a copy of the media program; buffer via the memory thefirst and the second plurality of data segments to generate first andsecond buffered plurality of data segments to cause a delay of the mediaprogram; receive a request from a mobile device for a missing datasegment; detect a copy of the missing data segment in at least one ofthe first or the second buffered plurality of data segments; andtransmit the copy of the missing data segment to the mobile device priorto an expiration of the delay to continue a presentation of the mediaprogram at the mobile device without interruption.
 11. The wireless basestation of claim 10, wherein the cellular transceiver operates accordingto a fourth generation cellular communications protocol, and wherein theprocessor is operable to cause the cellular transceiver to transmit andreceive signals to and from the mobile device in conformance with thefourth generation cellular communications protocol.
 12. The wirelessbase station of claim 10, wherein the cellular transceiver operatesaccording to a third generation cellular communications protocol, andwherein the processor is operable to cause the cellular transceiver totransmit and receive signals to and from the mobile device inconformance with the third generation cellular communications protocol.13. The wireless base station of claim 10, wherein the cellulartransceiver operates according to a short range wireless communicationprotocol, and wherein the processor is operable to cause the cellulartransceiver to transmit and receive signals to and from the mobiledevice in conformance with the short range wireless communicationprotocol.
 14. The wireless base station of claim 10, wherein theprocessor is operable to transmit to the mobile device informationrelating to a location of each of a plurality of terrestrial basestations transmitting wireless digital television signals.
 15. Thewireless base station of claim 10, wherein the processor is operable toreceive a request from the mobile device for information about aterrestrial base station that the mobile device can transition toaccording to a location or trajectory of the mobile device.
 16. Thewireless base station of claim 10, wherein the processor is operable totransmit to the mobile device at least one media program guide accordingto a location or trajectory of the mobile device.
 17. A method,comprising: receiving one or more wireless digital television signals,wherein each of the one or more wireless digital television signalscomprise a plurality of data segments for presenting media content;buffering the plurality of data segments of each of the one or morewireless digital television signals to generate one or more buffereddata segments to cause a presentation delay of the media content;detecting a missing data segment in the one or more buffered datasegments; transmitting a first request to a cellular communicationsystem to provide the missing data segment; and receiving from thecellular communication system the missing data segment prior to anexpiration of the presentation delay to continue a presentation of themedia content without interruption.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe cellular communication system operates according to one of a thirdgeneration cellular communications protocol, a fourth generationcellular communications protocol, or a wireless fidelity communicationsprotocol, and wherein the media content comprises one of still imagecontent, moving image content, audio content, or combinations thereof19. The method of claim 17, comprising receiving from the cellularcommunication system one or more additional missing data segmentsresponsive to transitioning between wireless terrestrial base stations.20. The method of claim 17, comprising: receiving one or more additionalmissing data segments after the expiration of the presentation delay;and presenting an interim content during an interruption period forpresenting the media content.